International studies have shown that interest in science and technology among primary and secondary school students in Western European countries is low and seems to be decreasing. In many countries outside Europe, and especially in developing countries, interest in science and technology remains strong. As part of the large-scale European Union funded 'Science Education for Diversity' project, a questionnaire probing potential reasons for this difference was completed by students in the UK, Netherlands, Turkey, Lebanon, India and Malaysia. This questionnaire sought information about favourite courses, extracurricular activities and views on the nature of science. Over 9,000 students aged mainly between 10 and 14 years completed the questionnaire. Results revealed that students in countries outside Western Europe showed a greater interest in school science, in careers related to science and in extracurricular activities related to science than did Western European students. Non-European students were also more likely to hold an empiricist view of the nature of science and to believe that science can solve many problems faced by the world. Multilevel analysis revealed a strong correlation between interest in science and having such a view of the Nature of Science.

Competence-based education (CBE) is an innovation in (vocational) education aimed at improving students' competences. Little is known, however, about the processes leading to successful implementation of CBE and about its outcomes. This study investigates the effects that the level of CBE implementation has on student satisfaction (regarding the quality of education, guidance, and the development of interpersonal and general vocational skills) and to what extent CBE implementation mediates the relationship between teacher team learning activities and student satisfaction. To this end, data was gathered from 662 teachers belonging to 46 teacher teams in senior secondary vocational education in the Netherlands, and their students. Multilevel structural equation modelling revealed that teacher team learning was positively associated with te implementation of CBE. Furthermore, CBE had a positive effect on student satisfaction with quality of education, guidance, and development of interpersonal skills; however, no significant effect was found on student satisfaction with the development of general vocational skills. These results indicate that implementation of CBE has, to some degree, fulfilled its promise of better preparing students for their future workplace and that teacher team learning can support the further implementation of CBE.